Anker Stone Building Set @museum.de

A century ago, were these the equivalent of today’s Lego?

Indeed they were! The late 19th century’s best-selling toy was invented by the Lilienthal brothers! They designed this Stone Building Set as young men, in 1879. Otto had just become a father, though Gustav was still single. And their skills complemented each other perfectly. Gustav, the architect, developed the colours and shapes of the building blocks, while Otto designed the high-pressure press to manufacture the blocks. They’re made of coloured chalk, which is mixed with quartz sand and linseed oil, and pressed at 200 bar to form the blocks.

It was an ingenious system, but the marketing was a flop, despite all the brothers’ efforts. They sold their invention to the entrepreneur Friedrich Adolf Richter from Rudolstadt in Thuringia. Richter established the trademark "Anker Steinbaukästen", established a firm and a sales organisation, and became a millionaire within a few years. A disappointed Gustav Lilienthal turned his back on Europe and took passage for Australia, where spent five happy years.

The Anker Stone Building Set wasn’t the only educational toy created by the Lilienthals. Gustav moved in circles that included social reformers and progressive educationalists. After returning from Australia, he developed a metal construction set that also inspired generations of youngsters.